One such coin is the 1913 V Nickel, which some have referred to as the “Mona Lisa” of coins.

It’s a beautiful coin, to be sure. But what makes it so valuable is not just the fact that only five are known to exist. It also has a rich, mysterious history.

Let’s start at the beginning. The Liberty Head Nickel was minted from 1883 to 1913. The nickel had a large V on the back, leading to its nickname of the “V Nickel.”

Somehow, the Mint forgot to place the word “cents” on the nickel, and some took advantage of the misprint as well as the newness of the coin, using it as a $5 gold piece. The cleverest among them bought an item below five cents, paid with the gold-plated nickel, and waited to see whether they got change for 5 cents or 5 dollars. No one could convict the scammers because no one could say they claimed that the nickel was $5!

That whole debacle fueled the public’s interest in the coin, although the Mint added the word “cents” halfway through the coin’s run. Even from its beginning, this nickel had hype built in.

Only five of these (albeit the ones with “cents” on the obverse) have a 1913 strike. They were made before the production of the Indian Head design, and some suggest that a Philadelphia Mint employee made the 1913 coins right before the Indian Head coins began to be produced, even though the Liberty Heads were supposed to stop production in 1912.

One particular 1913 V Nickel surpasses all the others in legend. King Farouk of Egypt once owned this coin, along with his favored coin collection and other fine items.

Not quite a king, but the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, Dr. Jerry Buss, also owned the coin at one point.

The person most to blame for the fame of this nickel is B. Max Mehl, a Texas millionaire who created an advertising campaign during the Depression that offered a huge monetary prize for any of the V Nickels.

The coin’s obverse side.

This led to a frenzy of treasure hunters as well as the rise in popularity of the coin. While none of the coins reached Mehl, he did greatly increase sales of his coin-collecting book. What a marketing ploy.

One of the five Liberty Head nickels known to exist was thought to be lost in a 1962 car accident that killed a coin dealer. But years later, the American Numismatic Association offered a million-dollar reward for the fifth nickel. The family of the coin dealer killed in the accident brought a nickel that they had previously been told was fake: to their shock, six members of the American Numismatic Association confirmed that it was the genuine article.

The ANA was able to show all five of the 1913 Liberty Head coins at their Baltimore convention as a result.

One of the coins sold for $3.1 million in auction in 2013.

Owned by famous names, fought for by coin collectors, and sold for millions of dollars: the “Mona Lisa” of coins has really made an impact.